Cotton drier



Oct. 19, 1937. J. A. STREUN 2,096,208

COTTQN DRIER Filed May 11, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Oct. 19, 1937 f I r I F FlC -E' COTTON DRIER John A. Streun, Sherman, Tex., assignor to Hardwicke-Etter Company, a corporation Application May 11, 1936, Serial No. 79,036

2 Claims. (01. 19-74) My invention relates to apparatus for drying It will be seen that the valves are arranged so cotton immediately preceding the moving of the that the cotton may be delivered to any selected cotton to the gin. one of these three passages. V

The device is adapted to act upon cotton which The passage l2 leads to the upper end ofth 5 is drawn from the wagon or similar source and drying conveyer and the cotton will pass directly passed through drying and cleaning devices and onto a screw conveyer it. As will be seen in Fig. then ginned. 2, this screw conveyer fits closely within a cylin- It is an object of my invention to provide a drical chamber M, which is spaced closely to the drying apparatus which is adapted for acting outer circumference of the conveying "blades.

upon the cotton before it is cleaned and during The shaft it upon which the conveyer is mount- 10 the time the cleaning operation is carried on. ed is rotatable in a direction to carry the cotton I desire to submit the cotton to athorough away from the feeder'and to the opposite end agitating and drying operation before any cleanof the conveyer housing. 1

ing is done and to then further act upon the At the opposite end, the lower wall of the cotton while it is being cleaned and before it chamber is cut away to provide an opening I6 15 reaches the distributor. through which the cotton may drop down into It is a further object of my invention to so a lower parallel chamber l'l within which the construct the drying apparatus that the cotton screw conveyer I8 is rotatableto move the cotis most effectively submitted to the action of the ton in a reverse direction back to the delivery dry heated air. opening l9 from which it passes to the chamber. 20

In the drawings herewith, Fig. 1 is an assem- While the cotton is passing through the conbly view showing the arrangement of my cleanveyer chambers it is acted upon by a draft of ing apparatus, the cleaning device being partly heated air. This air enters the passage l2 above in vertical section. the conveyors through a flue or pipe 20, which Fig. 2 is a front view showing the separator issues from one end of a drying chamber 21. 25

in elevation and the drying conveyer in central The draft of air is blown from a fan 22 mountvertical section, parts of the device being elimed on the floor of the gin housing blowing air inatecl to show the relative positions of these through the P p 23 leading by Way O th ytwo a t ing chamber 2! to the pipe 20 previously noted. 20 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the The heating chamber 2| may be of any desired distributor. form such as one heated by a steam coil coming 7 In the drawings I have shown a pipe I through from a Sou ce Of pp y through the p p which the cotton is drawn from the wagon or From the passage E2 the heated air enters with other source of supply to the treating device. the C tt t t C v y ham r 14 Whe e This pipe comprises a flue through which a draft it follows the stream of cotton down through the 35 of air is drawn to suck the cotton up from the v yin C a The C(mVeyeI' fl W ttle source of supply and move it to the separator 2, space for the passage of this draft of heated air In this separator the cotton is separated from eXCept along the Spiral p th p ovided by the the air passing to the suction fan and is then blades in their rotation. The cotton and the air 40 delivered downwardly to the dropper 3. This therefore pass down through the conveyer cham 4O dropper constitutes a rotating valve having radial her together and because of the spiral blades 'the flights 4 thereon which contact with the side otton i turned v r nd v n i win in walls of the housing 5 and prevent the passage p o that the ate a e ga es the Cotton of air upwardly into the separator. on all sides and due to the agitation of the cotton,

The cotton passing downwardly from the dropthe effect of the drying air in the close passage 45 per 3 passes into a valve chamber 6. This valve through W h it moves is most c v e y is arranged as a three-way valve. There is a little of the heated air can pass without moving lateral valve 1 and an opposite similar valve 8 a ong with the cotton itself. This is a feature both pivoted at their lower ends and when closed of material value connected with the form of the are in contact with the side walls of the chamdrying pp tus- 50 her. As will be seen from Fig. 1, there are three t W e noted that t e heated air takesthe passages leading from this chamber. One passame route as does the cotton and is thoroughly sage 9 leads directly to the distributor, another, m ed W the Cot on When it is delivered l0, leads to the upper portion of the cleaner th u h t opening 19 into the housing ll of housing II. The third, l2, leads to the drier. the n r- 55 The cleaner housing is arranged to acconimo-v date a pluralityof rotating agitator rolls which as seen in Fig. 1, are arranged in a series extending from the lower or entrance end thereof inian upwardly inclined direction to the outlet passage 25. Below the picker rolls which move the cottonupwardly to the outlet is a foraminated wall 21 which may be of screen wire which allows'dust, chafi and small debris'to settle out. from the cotton and drop {down to' the lower;

inclmedwall 28*of the housing and thusgravi- I tate dOWIItQ the outlet chute 29 for the dirt.

' drier and can be most efiejctively cleaned'durg I ing its passage therethrough' It is also acted; upon somewhat further by the heated air so'that Thestream of heated air passes with the cot J ton tofthe' outlet and maybe delivered with the cotton downwardly to the distributor, 32." In the cleaner chamber the cotton'is in a comparatively dry condition due to its passage through'the when it is delivered to thedistributor. 32 it is in a .dry and clean condition so that it may be moved along to the gins.

' QThedi'stribIitor 32 is of ordinaryconstruction having anfelongated trough or chamber in which is the screw conveyer 30. 'As will'be seen from Fig. 3; this conveyer 30 m'oves the cotton along the trough and feedsfit'to a plurality'of chutes '7 or hoppersji; There is one of these hoppers above each gin and additional feeding and cleaning apparatus may be provided above the gintol receivejthecotton. This, however, forms no part of my present'invention,

'the cotton to movethrough the passage ID ldirectly to the cleaner. 7

Also when the cotton is sufiicientlyclean that V no'further cleaning is 'desir'ed the two valves 1 7 and 8 may both be swung to the left of the posi- 72,096,208 g r V o,

tion shown in Fig. 1, leaving the passage 9 open of the air? so that the cotton will pass directly down to the distributor without being acted upon by the drying andcleaning apparatus. '1 am thus enabled to subject the cotton to a maximum or minimum drying operation. The cotton maybe thoroughly dried by passing through the drier or is subjected to only a partial drying in the, cleaning chamber" ;or it is possible; to entirely'elirninate any drying Y J or cleaning" action;

"An'important advantage of my invention lies in the arrangement of the apparatus so as to subjectthe cotton to the most eifective action of the heated air. The air and cotton are both constrained'tomov'e through the conveyer chamber in 'a whirling spiral-path whereby'the cotton is by the action of the draft of: air.

'What is claimedias new isi f t 1. A cotton treating device in'cluding'a drier, a cleaner connected withthe outlet end'of said drier, and adistributor to receivethe cotton from" saidcle-aner, athree way. valve to direct cotton 7 to said drier, said cleaner, or 'to said distributor,"

rolled about and. agitated and moved also partly v V V I am thus: enabled toi'get'the full effect of the drying action 7 and means connected to said device below said valve to cause a draft of heated airdownwardly V through said drier and the cotton in said cleaner and outwith the cotton to the distributor."

2.] In a 'cotton drier, a vvalve housing, means-to deliver cotton thereto, a ,drying chamber, a,

cleaner housing [to receive cotton from said chamber; a distributor at the outlet end 'of said cleaner, valves in saidvalve housing to direct the V cotton to said'chamber, said cleaner housing,

or to said distributor, and means to deliver a" draft of heated air'through said drier with said 7 cotton to said cleanerfand. from said cleaner to 7 said distributor.

JOHN A. 

